Do all public water systems in Pennsylvania qualify to participate in the Partnership?
No. The program is tailored for surface water treatment plants that are operated by motivated staff who want to achieve the best performance. Currently, Pennsylvania s Water Supply Partners are among some of the best filter plants in the country. Many of them have staff who excel at optimizing treatment and have a good attitude about preparing for the future. On the technology side of things, plants that obtain water entirely from a groundwater source are currently not eligible to participate in the Partnership. In addition, filter plants that use slow sand filtration technology or diatomaceous earth technology will probably not benefit as much as the other types of treatment technologies in Pennsylvania. Overall, most of the state s 329 filter plants are eligible to participate. This is especially important because these plants serve about 8 million of the state s 12 million residents and untold numbers of out-of-state visitors.
